Letters
From the October 25 issue of Science News magazine
By Science News
Defining death
Allowing doctors to absolutely define death (“Doctors debate death definition for transplants,” SN: 9/13/08, p. 5) as “irreversible brain damage” is a slippery slope. There is a lot of pressure from transplant coordinators for body parts. While there is no absolute point in brain damage, heart stoppage is an absolute point. Allowing a vague definition will certainly lead to earlier and earlier use of such a definition. Temptation—the need for organs to maintain transplant programs and the cost of caring for a dying child—will certainly increase the pressure to back up the diagnosis.
F. E. Rector Jr., Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.
Reality bytes